Recent content by IDbrew

Just got a shipment of grains and yeast from Brewmasters warehouse and I am impressed! Only took 5 days to get to Denver, CO. The order was complete and packed very well so that none of the bags broke open, and the yeast came with a cooling pack which I did not ask for or pay for (I think most...

Hey all! I currently brew with one other guy and we try to get a batch in every week (usually Sundays). We brew 10G AG batches. If anyone is interested in getting together for a group brew or just to critique/watch our process shoot me a PM.

I use a 2000ml Erlenmeyer flask to make a about a half gallon starter and pitch my original White Labs tube. When that has fermented out I sanitize six or seven 12 oz bottles and caps. Then I swirl the starter until all the yeast is in suspension, and use a lighter to flame the neck of the...

We definitely had to scrub like crazy and double sanitize just to be sure. In fact some bottles were so nasty we tossed them without even trying to clean. I can only imagine what horrors some of the bottles were subjected to. The price is right, but you need to be willing to put in the leg...

I suppose you could ask for them, but we did not. Most likely you would have to dig through all their cardboard items just to find the case boxes and that would be a PITA.

I second the idea of getting them at your local recycling center. In Idaho there is no bottle return fee and the guys at the recycling place were more than happy to let me pick up as many as I wanted. My brew partner and I literally filled the bed of my truck with empties out of their giant...

If you are careful either method would work. Whatever seems easiest to you would be the way to go. The basic idea is just to avoid excessive splashing that may introduce oxygen into the beer. This would be a good time to take a small sample of your beer and try it as well. I always sample my...

I would recommend you sanitize some food grade tubing and run it from the spigot of the primary Mr. Beer to the secondary you are using. If you just use the spigot alone I think you would risk splashing and aeration. For sanitizing I would recommend either Star San or Iodophor, both of which...

Update on the RIS. It has been in bottles since October of 06 and we have just started drinking it (Jan 07). The taste is great and there are ZERO concerns about infection. It could have been the ABV, it could have been the hops, or maybe we should all just RDWAHAHB. In any event the tap...

If you are using one Mr. Beer keg to primary ferment, and another to secondary ferment you can mix the appropriate amount of DME and water for priming together in a pot, then boil and cool and add to the secondary MR. beer keg. With a sanitized metal spoon or utensil stir the cooled priming...

Thanks for the reply. ABV should be about 8.5% so hopefully it is strong enough to fight off anything that may have leaked in. I have learned my lesson regarding airlocks though, and from here on out I will only add cheap 70 proof vodka to the airlock instead of water. If that leaks in it...

I have had a RIS sitting in secondary for 4 months now with plans to bottle around October to drink at Christmas time. Tonight I was checking on the airlock and noticed it was very low. I added some unsanitized tap water to the airlock but the cap piece that floats off of the stem was stuck to...